Respirator



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. S. COVER RESPIRATOR Filed May 27, 1936 174/' mfgQ2-fel; i??

, Dec. 2, 1941.

Dec. 2, 1941. H. s. covER 2,264,829

RESPIRATOR l l Filed May 27, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1941UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE aEsPmAToa Harvey S. Cover, South Bend, Ind.Application May 27,1936, serial No. 81,988v

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in respirators. It has for anobject the production of an improved device to be used for protectingthe user from impure air of various kinds.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple, practical,and efficient respirator of the character described, having a large areafor filtering and adapted for easy breathing and adapted also todispense with the use of any special exhalation valve.

There has long been need of a respiration which is efficient yetinexpensive for ltering out silica, asbestos, and other minute dusts.For example, there has long been need of such a respirator by farmersfor use in putting up hay, fanning out oats, plowing and cultivating,and dragging in dusty weather, and by coal dealers in handling coal,dairy men in cleaning stables, painters in spraying paint, by thepopulations of dust storm areas, and by persons of other areas andoccupations.

The respirator of the present invention was particularly designed toprovide an inexpensive, eflicient respirator to meet such problems asthese and has been found by actual test to be completely successful.

I have eliminated the special exhaust valve completely, and by thedesign of the large area for filtering exhalation is successfullyhandled through the large area inhalation pads. By the constructionwhich I have arranged there is very little air spaceonly enough to allowthe air to collect for one or two breaths, and very little air isbreathed over. There is just enough space to let the air flow in fromall parts of the lter.

Another of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple,practical and erlicient respirator with a new and novel method ofholding the filter element in proper spaced relation with the lter plateor filter holder and to properly position the pad, and also to preventthe pads from slipping upon each other where a number of pads are used.

Another object is to provide a light weight respirator adapted to permitgood vision.

A further object is to provide a device of the character described whichis comfortable and posseses high eiciency in accomplishing the objectsstated.

A still further object is to provide a respirator having a more readilyremovable lter pad and a device which is simple and which may be cleanedeasily.

An additional object is to provide a respirator wherein there isincreased area of the filter pad available for filtering purposes.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent and be brought outmore fully in the following specification, reference being had Vto theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the preferred form of the device of the presentinvention, partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an exploded View in section of one of the filtering elementsand its connecting means to the body of the respirator; and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a modified form of respirator, partly brokenaway.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and especially to Figs. 1 4,in which I have shown the preferred form of my invention selected forpurposes of illustrating the principle thereof, I show a respiratorhaving the body portion vII! provided with cut-outs II at the topYandbottom to accommodate the nose and lower part of the face of awearer. The body I0 has a right wall I2 and a left wall I3 as seen by anobserver on the face of a wearer, and each of the walls I2 and I3 has acircular aperture I4 clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Cemented to thebody portion I0 is a pair ofy strap sections I5 and I6. These strapsections are adapted to be adjustably and frictionally locked togetherby a locking plate I'I clearly shown in Fig. 2, as will be manifestwithout further description. These straps may be made of any suitablematerial and in the formV shown they are made of the same kind of rubberas the body. Y

Each of the side walls I2'and I3 of the body portion I0 is adapted to beunited to a lter holder I8, there being one lter holder for each wall.Each lter holder I8, clearly shown in all the gures, is provided with anaperture I9, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. A descriptionofthe application of one of the filter holders I8 to the right wall I2will serve to illustrate how a lter holder I8 is applied to each of thewalls I2 and I3, the same manner being used in each.

For example, a filter holder I 8 is secured to the right wall I2 by aflanged tubular locking member 20, as clearly shown in Fig. 2especially, Fig. 4 showing the flanged tubular locking member 20 Ybeforeit is given its nal bending operation for locking, that is, beforeassembly. The

member 20 has a circularly corrugated ange 2I and a flange 22 as shownin Fig. 2, and these iianges 2| and 22 which are substantially parallelserve to lock between them a circular spacing member 23 and the filterholder and the right wall I2, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 and in theexploded view, Fig. 4. The circular spacing member 23 is provided withan aperture 24 and spacing legs 25 with angularly bent portions 26, thelegs 25 leaving pockets for the transmission of air and being so spacedas not to interfere with the positioning of the filter pad as will bemore evident hereinafter. This spacing member 23 is clearly shown inFigs. 2 and 4.

As will be seen clearly in Fig. 4, in assembling the device the apertureI4 of the right wall I2. is positioned so as to register with theaperture I9 of the filter holder I8, and both` of these `apertures I4and I9 register in turn with the aperture 24 of the spacing member 23.When these three apertures I4, I9, and 24 are in registry, the flangedtubular locking member 20 may have its tubular portion inserted throughthe three apertures I4, I9, and 24, after which the tubular portion ofthe member 2l] may be bent to form the fiange 22, as clearly shown inFig. 2, to lock the right wall I2, filter holder I8, and the circularspacing member 23 properly together.

The filter holder I8 has a fiat base 21 and a web 28, shown in Fig. 2,which is concave'as seen looking at Fig. 1, and also has a right angledflange 29, clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the base 21 and the web 28and the fiange 29 combining to form a pocket 30. The filter holder I8also has an aperture 3I in which is adapted to be inserted, in the formshown in Figs. 1-4, a pair of disks or pads of filter material 32 and33. The pad of filter material 32 may consist of any fibrous or otherwell-known material which serves to filter air. In the form shown, twopads are used, the pad 32 being of a relatively coarse fibrous filteringmaterial and the padl 33 being of a relatively fine fibrous material,and the pad 33 will give an even better filtering action, sifting outany fine dust that might have been admitted through the pad 32. The padssubstantially fill the pocket 30. Each of the pads 32 and 33 in the formshown is provided with an aperture 34 located centrally thereof, andextending through the apertures which register with each other is afillistei head screw 35 having a nut 36. The screw extends through theapertures 34 of the pads 32 and 33 and sufiiciently beyond the pads andthe nut 36 on the other side to space the pads from the base 21 so as tocreate an air chamber only sufficiently large enough to permit the airfiow. The screw 35 and the nut 3S also function to position the pads 32and 33 so that there will be no slipping action between the pads and sothat they will be exactly in registry with each other and alsoin orderthat the peripheral edges of the pads will be properly positioned inrelation to the pocket 39 of the filter holder IB.

It will be seen that the circular spacing member 23 by means of thespacing legs 25 with the angularly bent portions 26 servesv to space thepad 33 from the flat base 21 so as to create an air chamber sufficientto allow the air to collect and flow and also the legs, in the formshown, being three in number, are positioned so as to allow substantialspaces between the legs to a1- low the air to fiow with the desiredfreedom.

It will be understood that the left wall is similaily provided with afilter holder and pads, spacing member and locking element, and it willbe seen that air may be drawn in through the outer pad 32 and thenthrough the relatively finer filtering pad 33 and thence between thespacing legs 25, through the aperture 24 of the spacing member 23, andthence through the aperture I9 of the lter holder I 8 and thence throughthe aperture I4 of the right wall I2 into the nostrils. It will bemanifest that the angularly turned portions or shelves 26 function toeffectively space the filter pad, whereas if such portions were notprovided, the material of the filter pad might crowd or work down aboutthe leg 25 and not be properly spaced. It will also be manifest that Ihave in the form shown so arranged the legs 25, as clearly seen in Fig.1, that there is no leg immediately adjacent the pocket 30. In this waythere is nothing to invterfere with the proper positioning of the pads32 and 33 in the pocket 3D.

In Fig. 5 I have shown another modification and concrete exempliiicationto illustrate the principle of my invention, and this form is the sameas the form shown in Figs. 1-4, excepting that only one pad 38 is showninstead of the two pads 32 and 33 shown in the other form. Either onepad or a plurality of pads may be used. It will be seen that the pad orpads may be tucked into the pocket 30 of the holder 28 and because ofthe right angle flange 29 and the insurance against slipping betweenpads where a plurality of pads is used air will not be able to workaround the peripheral edges of the pads adjacent the web of the filterholder.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention intoeffect, this is capable ofvariation and modication without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a respirator, a filter holder, a plurality of filtering padslocated in said filter holder, a spacing and positioning member whosepoint of support is located in said pads and adapted to properlypositionv said pads in said filter holder both with respect to eachother and with respect to the filter holder, and adapted also to spacepads from said filter holder.

2. In a respirator, a lter holder, a plurality 1 of filtering padslocated in said filter holder, a

screw element located in said pads and adapted to properly position saidpads in said filter holder both with respect to each other and respectto the filter holder, and adapted also to space pads from said filterholder.

3. In a respirator, a body portion having an inlet port and a filtercomprising a plate provided with an aperture registering with said portand a filter pad over said aperture, said plate being imperforate exceptfor said aperture, means for securing the edge of said filter pad tosaid plate and means on the filter pad at a distance from the peripherythereof for spacing said pad from the imperforate portion of the plate,substantially as described.

4. In a respirator, a body portion having an inlet port and a filtercomprising a plate provided with an aperture registering with said portand a filter pad over said aperture, said plate being imperforate exceptfor said' aperture, means for securing the edge of said lter pad to saidplate, the surfaces of said lter pad being unobstructed except at theperipheral connecting edge and means on the filter pad at a distancefrom the periphery thereof for spacing said pad from the imperforateportion of the plate, substantially as described.

5. In a respirator, a body portion having an inlet port and a ltercomprising a substantially plane base portion eccentrically mountedabout said port, an outer filter element connected at the periphery tosaid base portion, and having its entire surface unobstructed, a spacingmember carried by said lter element and impinging against said base tomaintain the entire filter surface unobstructed by contact of the baseand lter elements and to prevent restriction of the passageway from allportions of the filter surface to said port.

6. In a respirator, a body portion having an inlet port and a filtercomprising a base portion having an eccentrically positioned port, acylindrical tubular member extending through said ports and flanged atits ends to connect said body and filter base, a lter element connectedat the periphery to said base portion, substantially centrally disposedmeans xed to said filter element and impinging against said base elementto space the same from each other, a ring interposed between said baseportion and the adjacent flange of the tubular member, and membersstruck up from said ring to prevent the filter element from contactingthe base adjacent the port, substantially as described.

'1. In a respirator a body portion having an inlet port and a ltercomprising a base portion provided with an aperture registering withsaid port, a lter pad arched over said base portion and attached theretoat the peripheral edge, and a spacing leg arranged adjacent said portand having an angularly bent portion to prevent the filter pad fromcollapsing over said port.

8. In a respirator a body portion having an inlet port and a ltercomprising a base portion provided with an aperture registering withsaid port, a filter pad arched over said base portion and attachedthereto at the peripheral edge, and a plurality of legs spaced aboutsaid inlet port and projecting toward the filter pad, the outer ends ofsaid legs being bent inwardly to engage the pad to prevent the samecollapsing over said port.

HARVEY S. COVER.

